Wednesday, December 04

8:00 – 9:00 am (EST)
Breakfast

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9:00 – 9:15 am (EST)
Welcome & Intro

Location: Main Ballroom
Liz Irwin, Bill McLoughlin

9:20 – 10:30 am (EST)
Keynote : Erica Orange

Location : Main Ballroom
What the Future Holds: Understanding What’s Next and How to Prepare

In today’s uncertain business climate the ability to translate current events into future action is critical. Furniture Today’s 2023 opening Keynote Erica Orange will give attendees the insights to do exactly that. Orange is Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of The Future Hunters, one of the world’s leading futurist consulting firms. She analyzes emerging sociocultural, technological, economic, geopolitical and environmental trends – and identifies the strategic implications of those for several of the most influential Fortune 500 companies.

She has spoken at TEDx and keynoted over 200 conferences around the world. She has been featured in news outlets including Forbes, NPR, Time, Inc, Wired, Bloomberg, and CBS This Morning. In 2020, she was named by Forbes as one of the world’s 50 Top Female Futurists.

Sponsored by

10:30 – 11:00am. (EST)
Enjoy a refreshment break

11:00am – 12:00 pm. (EST)
Retail Panel

Location: Main Ballroom
Retail Leaders Panel

Josh Hudson, President, Hudson’s Furniture

Nora Gomez, Chief Merchandising Officer, Nebraska Furniture Mart

Larry Klaben, Chairman, Morris Furniture

Lauri Joffee Turjeman, Chief Marketing Officer, American Freight

A panel of veteran retail leaders will share strategies for growing in today’s challenging environment while laying the groundwork for the dynamic changes on the horizon.

12:00-1:15 p.m. (EST)

Enjoy lunch

Sponsored By

1:15 – 2:00 pm (EST)
Fireside Chat

Location: Main Ballroom

What the Future Holds for M&A

Bo Stump, Stump & Company

Howard Armistead, Mann, Armistead & Epperson

Have heighted competition and changing market dynamics put your business under pressure? Do you have the scale to compete in today’s environment? Is it time to cash out? The furniture industry’s leading M&A experts will share their insights on where the M&A market is headed and what steps you can take to maximize the opportunities.

2:00 – 2:45 pm (EST)
Consumer Insight Session

Location: Main Ballroom

Value Gets a Makeover: Creating Growth, Stability, and Loyalty in the NeverNormal Marketplace

Tom Mirabilie, founder, Springboard Futures

The Home marketplace has never seemed less predictable than it does today. Consumers are faced with a confusing kaleidoscope of fragmented retail channels, conflicting reviews, and paradoxes of choice that create more anxiety than allegiance. Still, this complex environment presents many opportunities for growth and innovation. Seizing the advantage requires a solid understanding of shifting consumer lifestyles, aspirations, and pain points. In short, an unwavering focus on what matters most to today’s consumers and why.

Join Tom Mirabile, Principal of Springboard Futures and Consumer Trend Analyst and Forecaster for the International Housewares Assn., for an exploration of the changing value equation for Home products, and the underlying trends that will drive products and purchases through 2024 and beyond.

2:45 – 3:00 pm (EST)

Networking Break

3:00 – 3:45 pm (EST)
Retail Panel

Location: Main Ballroom

What the Future Holds for Retail Leadership

Jessica Talsma-Smith, Talsma Furniture

Kyle Deets, Deets Homestore

Bo Coconis Coconis Furniture

Tomorrow’s leaders face very different challenges from their predecessors. They also bring new skills, attitudes and solutions. A panel of emerging retail leaders will reveal the biggest changes they expect to face, the strategies they’ll use to face them and the shape of the future they hope to build.

3:45 – 4:45 pm (EST)
Keynote : Rebecca Costa

Location: Main Ballroom

The Future of Decision Making in an Increasingly Complex Future

Rebecca Costa, an American sociobiologist and futurist, is the preeminent global expert on the subject of “fast adaptation.” Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, The Guardian, and other leading publications.
Costa was the founder and CEO of one of the largest technology marketing firms in California, where she developed an extensive track record of launching game-changing technologies with clients that included Hewlett-Packard, Apple Computer, Oracle, Siebel Systems, General Electric, 3M and others.
She presently hosts the popular news podcast, The Costa Report.

4:45 – 6:00 pm (EST)
Enjoy a break

6:00 – 7:00 pm (EST)
Cocktail Party

7:00 – 9:00 pm (EST)
Awards Dinner

9:30pm-10:30pm (EST)
Nightcap

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